Benefits Of Coloring Therapy For Seniors

Nursing Homes

Coloring is an activity not just for kids. Many seniors also enjoy coloring activities and recently, the market for adult coloring books has increased a lot. You can find coloring books for adults in grocery stores, bookstores, or online retailers, and these are usually marketed to working adults who are stressed out. However, seniors can also benefit much from coloring therapy. This is not just applicable to seniors in nursing homes and assisted living facilities, but also to those living in the comfort of their homes.

This therapy is based on chromotherapy, which makes use of colors to improve physical and mental healing. People of all ages can benefit from color therapy, but for elderly adults, the activity of coloring can offer many benefits, some of which are explained below.

Coloring Therapy Benefits For Seniors 

Coloring provides similar benefits to meditation as it can relax our mind, focus attention, and offers an easy escape from the tensions of daily life. Some of the benefits of coloring therapy to seniors are:

It Can Improve Motor Skills 

As per the experts, coloring can improve hand-eye coordination. In addition, it can improve dexterity, focus, and grip control. For seniors, it is very much important to strengthen motor skills and coloring can easily help achieve this.

It Is A Way Of Self Expression 

Coloring can let seniors be creative. There is no need for the coloring to stay in the lines, despite the normal belief. It will be beneficial to encourage your senior loved ones to follow their heart while coloring to make a masterpiece without any guidelines.

Can Benefit Seniors With Alzheimer’s 

Coloring can be a very good stimulating activity for seniors that can help ease their anxiety. This therapy can help bring back memories for aging adults and this can be especially true when they are working with recognizable images like landscapes, birds, cards, or other such images.

Provides A Feeling Of Accomplishment 

Boredom can be damaging to seniors. It can result in depression and loneliness in many elderly adults. The feeling of having nothing to focus on or do can be detrimental to many and in such situations, coloring activities can be beneficial. It can help focus the brain of seniors on a single goal and can offer mental stimulation. In addition, coloring provides the physical representation of a finished project.

Apart from the above benefits coloring can also be a great family activity that can be beneficial to all members of a family.